This invention is directed toward a support for a grain bin floor and more particularly to a support that is easier to manufacture.
Floors which are used in grain storage bins are often-times elevated and supported above a base of the bin thereby creating a plenum between the base and the supported floor. The supported floor has perforations through it so that air which may be heated or ambient can be passed from outside the bin in to the plenum and up through the perforations in the floor for passage through overlying grain. The air may be used to dry, cool or otherwise condition overlying grain in the bin, e.g. to prevent subsequent spoilage of the grain. Such bins may serve as drying bins for continuous or batch drying and/or for longer term storage.
Supported bin floors generally include a plurality of longitudinal panels cut to appropriate lengths and arranged side-by-side to substantially cover the entire floor area of the bin.
Grain bin floor supports are known in the art. One such example is a Z-Post support manufactured by Sukup Manufacturing Company which has a Z-shape, a diagonal portion that provides additional support across the center of the floor plank, and notched sides that provide a self-tightening spring action lock. These supports require the use of specially designed bin floors.
Another floor support, also manufactured by Sukup Manufacturing Company is the Sukup Super Supports™. This design has a welded rod frame that allows air to flow freely throughout the bin plenum area. This open design provides better heat distribution, which makes for more efficient drying. The angle of the iron base provides stability. Also, the support is fast and easy to install and may be used with many bin floors. This design is more costly and difficult to manufacture. Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a floor support that addresses these problems.
An objective of the invention is to provide a floor support that is easy to manufacture without wire welding.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a floor support that is more economical to manufacture.
These and other objectives will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description, drawing and claims.